A Florida man who was high on a designer drug called Flakka stripped and ran naked through traffic in Fort Lauderdale to escape from imaginary killers who he believed stole his clothes and wanted to murder him.

Matthew Kenney, 34, told police he smoked Flakka before he streaked though traffic early on Saturday evening while only wearing a pair of sneakers.

Flakka, which can be injected, snorted, smoked, swallowed or taken with other substances, has been nicknamed '$5 insanity' for its mind-bending effects and cheap cost.

After he was arrested, Kenney told police he would 'rather die than be caught by these unknown people', the Sun Sentinel reported.

He added that 'if I got hit by a car they would stop chasing me' according to a Fort Lauderdale Police reported.

Kenney has previous arrests for disorderly conduct, making a riot and possession of a controlled substance.

He was hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation.

Flakka is usually made from the chemical alpha-PVP, a synthetic version of the stimulant cathinone.

That is the same type of chemical that is used to make bath salts.

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Kenney, 34, ran though traffic early on Saturday evening while only wearing sneakers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

The suspect said he was escaping imaginary killers who he believed stole his clothes and wanted to murder him

The use of flakka a designer drug that can be even stronger than crystal meth or bath salts, is up in Florida